This invention relates to a device for automatically raising fish traps, crayfish pots, nets and the like, hereinafter collectively referred to as "trap" without the aid of ropes and the like.
Hitherto fishermen and particularly cray or rock lobster fishermen have been more or less compelled to operate in relatively shallow water generally not in excess of two hundred feet in depth. One disadvantage when fishing in deeper waters is the additional cost of longer and heavier hauling lines and the amount of labor and the time required to bring the trap to the surface. A further disadvantage which also applies to traps laid in shallow water is that the floats attached to the line tend to lift the trap off the bottom when a heavy swell is running so that the trap walks along the bottom.
The object of the present invention is to provide a device for automatically raising traps which eliminates the need for long lengths of hauling line and reduces the amount of time and labor required to raise the trap and remove the catch therefrom.